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The Watchers Guide Buffy The Vampire Slayer | 
so-soThis review is for Slayers: A Buffyverse Story.
I haven‘t belonged to a true fandom before or since Buffy. I was obsessed. As a tween, I kept The Watcher‘s Guide under my bed. I knew that Alyson Hannigan had a tattoo of a dolphin on her ankle, that David Boreanaz was discovered while playing with his pups at the dog park, that Nicholas Brendan is a twin. I wrote to the actors and had their autographed photos — in duplicate.
Review cont‘d 👇🏻
monalyisha 1/7: My first AOL screenname was AngelLvr86. I was the treasurer of the (neighborhood‘s unofficial) I Love David Boreanaz Fan Club; I kept our money, earned through lemonade sales, secured in a sparkly pencil case. I played Queen C (that‘s Cordelia, for the uninitiated) in role-playing chat rooms. I read fanfiction. I had my hair cut and dyed like Willow Rosenberg‘s (circa 1999). Buffy was a way of life. (edited) 14mo
monalyisha 2/7: Suffice it to say, despite the two decades in-between the series finale and (many of) the actors reprising their roles for “Slayers: a Buffyverse Story,” I was excited to hear that the audio series was being produced. And nervous. And I should have been. Nervous, that is… (edited) 14mo
monalyisha 3/7: I suppose this is partially my fault. I thought “Slayers” was an audiobook and it‘s decidedly not; it‘s an “audio drama” or “theater for the mind.” And it feels, very much, like theater…with the whole vibe which that entails. I spent the first half-hour of my listening experience actively cringing with second-hand embarrassment. I eventually stopped cringing but reserved the right to an occasional eye-roll. 14mo
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monalyisha 4/7: It felt like a bunch of the original cast members almost forgot who they were. Charisma Carpenter and Emma Caulfield are wholly excluded from this criticism. They were fabulous (although sometimes hard to tell apart). James Marsters eventually settled into his role as Spike but it took more than a hot minute; it felt like his scenes with Juliet Landau were what rocketed him back into his character. And Indira was great (but new). (edited) 14mo
monalyisha 5/7: I think my main problem with the whole production is that it‘s *extremely* Tara-heavy (which makes sense given that Amber Benson co-wrote the story). I loathe to admit it but I NEVER liked Tara. I thought I didn‘t like her because she was weak and whiny; as it turns out, I don‘t like her when she‘s powerful and ruthless, either! 14mo
monalyisha 6/7: There was also a strange obsession with “best friends,” which is much too juvenile, conceptually, to speak to the intended audience. I‘m assuming that audience is nostalgic elder Millennials, like me. Buffy (the show) focused on the importance of community…but it was a more mature focus than singling out one friend to revere above the rest. (edited) 14mo
monalyisha 7/7: I want to end on a positive note. My rabid fandom requires it. Fans know that Charisma Carpenter originally auditioned for the role of the slayer. I would never trade SMG as Buffy, of course…but it was loads of fun to see how Charisma would have shone had she been cast. I will listen to the next installment because I don‘t know what‘s good for me. 14mo
Ruthiella I never warmed to Tara either, though she does have a lovely singing voice as evidenced in the musical episode. 14mo
monalyisha @Ruthiella I always felt bad for not liking her more. For the record, she does not sing a single line in this “radio play.” She does, however, talk to a monkey named Mr. Pickles. So, there‘s that. 14mo
BennettBookworm This review is so helpful and I really appreciate your detail! ❤️ Big fan of Buffy, so I wasn‘t sure what to think of this new content or the premise or if I‘d really like it. Might be that what I need instead is just another rewatch. 14mo
monalyisha Thanks, @BennettBookworm! I clearly had a lot to work through. 😅 It wasn‘t what I expected. The only reason I didn‘t listen immediately when it was released in October is because I was worried I needed to have read the comics first. I ended up diving in without doing so, and I‘m kind of glad I didn‘t spend so much time gearing up for something that was so disappointing. 😬 14mo
BennettBookworm Oh yeah BIG TIME! Smart move, haha yes you can thank your past self for not investing that time! 14mo
julesG This review grounded me and lowered my expectations. Thank you! I'll approach it with the knowledge that it's not exactly a Buffy episode. 😁 14mo
5feet.of.fury I thought it was a good redo for Tara & CC, in a way they took their characters back from Whedon. Spike & Dru back together enough of a nostalgia pop for me to rank it pretty high. The only real failure I thought was the several different Anyas, it got silly & was confusing in that format (which is not a book) 14mo
TheLudicReader I haven‘t listened, but I am feeling now that I won‘t bother to seek it out. Like you, although I was much older when I discovered the show, I was a huge fan. I collected the merch, the books, the dvds…and read (and wrote) a ton of fic. I think I will keep my memories of this time in my life intact. 14mo
monalyisha @5feet.of.fury The reclaiming bit, especially for CC, was a win. I hope she felt catharsis and pride! 14mo
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